This spring, as I taught Intro to Creative Nonfiction online using the third edition of Tell it Slant, I became more and more grateful for Chapter Four: “Gathering the Threads of History.” This chapter has been an essential part of TIS from the very beginning—coming after students have practiced exploring personal memories, now broadening their perspective to take in the larger collective backdrop against which their personal stories unfold.

When we revised TIS for the third edition, we brought in more contemporary examples, and we were able to include in our small anthology the groundbreaking essay by Ira Sukrungruang, “Because, the Ferguson Verdict,” which looks at a history of racism both personally and communally. Many of my students returned to this chapter for their final projects, bearing witness in their own ways to history unfolding before their eyes. I often wept at my computer while reading their final pieces, out of both sorrow for the world they’re in and gratitude for their gumption.

Throughout TIS, we—Brenda and Suzanne—continually emphasize the role of the creative nonfiction writer as a witness: sometimes in small ways and sometimes in ways that can effect real change. To make manifest this commitment to witness, we will, from here on out, donate 18% of our TIS royalty payments to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Why 18%? The number 18 is the numerical value for chai, the Hebrew word for “life.” In the Jewish tradition, we often give donations in increments of 18 to amp up our positive intentions. It’s only symbolic, sure, but symbols, as we’ve seen so often in these last few weeks, often have great power.

If you use TIS for yourself or for a class, thank you for telling your story and enabling others to bear witness in a time that desperately needs it.

Brenda